Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today) Lyrics

[Pre-Chorus]
So 'round and around and around we go
Where the world's headed, said, nobody knows

[Chorus]
Oh, Great Googa Mooga
Can't you hear me talking to you?
Just a ball of confusion
Oh yeah, that's what the world is today
Woo, hey, hey

[Verse 3]
Fear in the air, tension everywhere
Unemployment rising fast
The Beatles' new record's a gas
And the only safe place to live is on an Indian reservation
And the band played on
Eve of destruction, tax deduction
City inspectors, bill collectors
Mod clothes in demand, population out of hand
Suicide, too many bills
Hippies moving to the hills
People all over the world are shouting, "End the war"
And the band played on

[Chorus]
Great Googa Mooga
Can't you hear me talking to you?
It's a ball of confusion
That's what the world is today, hey, hey
Let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me hear ya
Sayin', ball of confusion
That's what the world is today, hey, hey (Let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me hear ya)
Sayin', ball of confusion
That's what the world is today

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

“Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” was recorded by The Temptations in April of 1970 and released as a single the following month. The song, which reached #2 on the US R&B charts and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and produced by Whitfield, who had been responsible for nearly all of the Temptations' singles since 1966’s “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and would produce for the group well into the 1970s. Though the track never appeared on a Temptations studio album, it was included on the group’s Greatest Hits II LP released in 1970.

“Ball of Confusion” is an example of the “psychedelic soul” style, inspired by the success of Sly and the Family Stone, that marked most of the Temptations' singles following the 1968 firing of singer David Ruffin and his subsequent replacement by Dennis Edwards. It can also be considered a kind of proto-rap song, as many of the lines are spoken or intoned, rather than sung. “Ball of Confusion” is also noteworthy for its overtly political themes, something that Motown songwriters were generally encouraged to shy away from throughout the company’s 1960s heyday. The song has been covered by a number of other artists, including Tina Turner in 1982 and English alternative rock band Love and Rockets in 1985.

  1. 1.
    Come On (Missing Lyrics)
  2. 63.
    War
  3. 66.
    Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)
  4. 89.
    Who Are You (Missing Lyrics)
  5. 91.
    Power
  6. 99.
    Magic (Missing Lyrics)
  7. 102.
    Look What You Started (Missing Lyrics)
  8. 104.
    Special
  9. 105.
    My Kind of Woman (Missing Lyrics)
  10. 108.
    Givin’ U The Best (Missing Lyrics)
  11. 110.
    Blueprint For Love (Missing Lyrics)
Comments
Sign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓
Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.
  翻译: